Pneumatic control of inflowing water in damaged ships.



A. R. McAvoY.

PNEUMATIC CONTROL 0F INFLOWING WATER IN DAMAGED SHIPS.

APPucATloN HLED Nov. 17. 1914.

1,156,792. Patented 001. 12,1915.

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` Britain 'and Ireland, and a resident of the:`

post town of- Coll-ie, liii the State of West ern `Australia, Commonwealth of Australia,MA (whose post-oilieo'address is C'o1lie,in the `said State of Vestern Aus-trali'a,) have invented. certain new and useful Improvements Re:-V 10" fARTHU-RRICHARD ivre-Aver, or comin, Wnsrnnnirnsrnama., A Usrnaria. i

PNEUiviA'rio coNTRoLfoF I*NFLowiivey WATER IN DAMAGED siiirs.-

spannen of' Letten; man.' Patented once. 12, 1915.

' Application ledNovemberl'?, 1914. p Serial No. 872,598;

To all/cham it'moyfconcem': 1

Be' it known that I, ARTE-Uni RICHARD' MoA'vor, a subject of the King of Great lating to` thel Pneumatic lontr'oll of lnflow ing" Water in Damaged Ships, of'` which the following' isl a specification.

This invention.feinestesinps divides. by j decks vvand Abulk'heads into a plurality' of is' compartments. Y Y

Hfitherto should an accident` occur 'at sea whereby the hull of the vessel has been pierced or ruptured the compartment' adjacent thehole has been-flooded and the in= coming' water' has only been controlled: by

theuse` of hand and powerpumps. These have often proved insuineientz; Ventilation ofthe compartments has alsol been insuili'- cient. W .l

The object ofthis invention is to prevent water .rising in' a' vessel beyond the ruptured portion thereof the invention being usedV when the usual pumps-have'vceasedto control-the incoming water.

The invention isl intended to be employed 1 for controlling openingsj'of moderate size and; provides for the inspecti'onfor the test-f ingofthe compartment or' compartments affected.y n Y- It also consists` inthe manner of'applyin-gA compressed air' so that the'- incoming water is prevented fromzrising andaiooding compartments other "than that concerned'. Furl ther,y provisiony isf made for: locating f the opening or' rupture without vrisk or the necessity of descending into the ships hold.

:In addition, the arrangementsare such that under normal circumstances` the variouscompartments 'of the Y vessel are thoroughly ventilated. y Y I Referring to thel drawings which form aAVV part of this speciication-Figure--1l is a sectional view -ofaV ventilation and inspection shaft' employed; with this invention: v Fig 2 is `a sectionall view showing portion'l of two ventilation and' inspection shafts extending through a plurality ofconipar'tments. Doors controlling' communicatif'inv between-- the 56- shafts-and the compartments are clearly seen', someof the .doors being shownopen sha-ft,l preferably open thereiiito;

tration; Fifgf?) is diagrammatic View of an air compressor, compressed air reservoir and branch'anddelivery pipes.

rPhe invention is applied; to a vessel vconi-l pri'sing a'hull 2 'divided byv decks 3' and bulk' f and some closed for'fconvenienceof ill-us g heads 4 intoia' series of compartments. A

plurality of compartments is formed between eachrbiilk'head andthe next.` The decks of the vessel', the bulk heads 'thereof vand the shaftfshereinafter described areV allA sufficiently strengthened or reinforced' to'1 withstand increased pressuresas will be' hereinafter understood. Y Y

To applyv the'nvention-it is necessary to' provide doors, covers or-t-li'eflikeof any' de- Y siredf'nature whereby all hatches, 'st-airways, passages and the like 'may be closed' inorider that each deck'A 3v 'of the vessel maybe completely sealed. Double doors l et inner door and an outer door,inay'be"pr'vodouble doors or' the likeL wherebyit maybe suitablyi.sealed` as also' may be 'the Stoke; f holclsg" f Thief-sealing vof the* decks, engine room, stolze-holds, ventilators 'and 'thev like may' bei-accomplished in any kwell :known way without' involving invention and' forms no of any suitable nature.

The engine room"y Vide'd'on'f stairways and 'wherever necessary Y to this end'. Thehatches'mayl be level withl thevdecks and provisionb'e also made fori closing all ventilators;

so mayb'eprovided with d'oublewal-ls' andI have part' of the present'finvention Further, the i stoke-hol'ds, engine roomyandlike places t'o'j which this invention cannot be applied, may" be provided witha suitablepumpor pumps The: invention includes a ventilation and@ compartmentsdisposed between the said bulkheads. l Any number of shaftsmay be"v employed?. v Formed in each shaftadjacent each deck 3, is a doorwayindicate'd at 1K6.

Each'- lshaft therebyV communicates withY each -inspection shaft A'5. Two or more shafts are A provided between each vbulk `headef andthe next 'andextend` tl'i'rough the wholeseries of compartment throughy which itzp'asses. Con*- `trolling each doorway is av suitablescreen 7 anda safety door 8; vThe doors "8 Vof* each screens 7 maybe of a sliding nature' and be disposed outside theshaft." They` may com! prise=-frames covered with a suitable wire nettingA or thelike. Vithin each shaft 5,

adjacent each doorway 6, may be a 'suitable Thescribed', where required.

g with a subsidiary reservoir 20.

This vmay project platform or the like 9.

Or it may from one side only of the shaft. project from more than one side thereof. it may project from all of the sides of the said shaft. Adjacent each doorway 6 of each of the shafts and communicating with door 12 at its upper end. rlhe platform 9v adjoining the upper doorway 6 of each shaft is disposed above the door 12 of the said shaft. Disposed within each shaft 5 at i the lower end thereof is a lower shaft closing door 13. All of the doors of each shaft may be operable simultaneously by any suitable means. Or they may be operatedseparately. Or they may be operable both individually and simultaneously. Further, the doors in both of the shafts between any two bulk heads may be operated simultaneously if desired. -Pneumatic or hydraulic means may be employed for operating the shaft doors. Two or more ventilation shafts may also be provided for the stoke hold or furnaces, said shafts having safety doors as de- With the foregoing is used an air coinpressor 1a of any suitable character. Comniunicating with the compressorjis an air main 15 having thereon a control valve 16. rThe main communicates with Va compressed air reservoir 17. Passing from the reservoir is a series of branch pipes 18 each having thereon a control valve 19 communicating Passing from each subsidiary reservoir 20 is Aa for- Ward delivery pipe 21 and an after delivery pipeY 22. A delivery. pipe is providedfor each compartment in the vessel. Upon each of the pipes 21 and 22 is a control valve 23 and a pressure gage 24. Any number of ccinpressors may be provided and any other lmeans vmay vbe employed whereby compressed air may be delivered to any compartment in the vessel.

With this invention under normal circumstances the doors 8 of each ventilation and inspection shaft 5 are open. The screens 7 cover the doorways 6 preventing rubbish or the like being thrown down thev shafts Without `interrupting ventilation. are particularly useful when a vessel is loading or unloading. 'By providing two or more shafts between each bulk head 4t' and` the next bulk head thorough ventilationV of all the compartments between the said bulk heads is eected, the upper and lower doors 12 and 13 being normally open. The doors 12 and 13 have beenshown closed in Fig. 1 for convenience of illustration only. 1f de- The screens also be disposed so as to provide ventilation forthc stoke-hold. lThe upper end of each shaft Vextends above the upper deck. lts lower end may terminate above or below the foot plates of the Stoke-hold or be otherwise arranged, the precise termination depending upon circumstances. Should the vessel become damaged the compartment affected is immediately located by use of the shafts 5. lt is only necessary to operate each test tap 10 in succession to ascertain lwhich compartment has been floodedwith water. Upon accident occurring all of the doors 8 except that one above the upper deck are immediately closed as alsois the door 13. Air or Y water will immediately pass from the tap 10 of an aected compartment. The decks of the compartmentconcerned are sealed in any'suitable mannersuch as by'doorsV covers and the like. The compartment is then airtight. The control valves 19 of the branch pipes 18 are then operated, the air compressor 14 delivering air into the compartment concerned. Any number Aof compressors may be used. Should more than one compartinentv be damaged they are all treated similarly. By the-control valves, however, the volume and pressure of air` may be varied in Vdiierent compartments. This need' not be effected by the arrangements shown but by any otherV arrangements or devices. The compressed Vair delivered into a compartment prevents the water therein from rising, the said water being forced back until the hole, opening or rupture is reached.

,The gages 24 may be read to ascertain in which pipe or pipes the pressure is falling and therefore the locality of lthev opening,

holeyor rupture.- Under normal circumstances the air compressor 14 may, if desired, be employed to ventilate the several compartments ofany vessel the doors 8 of the shafts 5 being normally open, as aforesaid, to assist in natural ventilation.v The compressor may also deliver air in front of the furnaces if' desired, .for-Ventilating and cooling purposes. It, should also be mentioned that telephonie communication may be provided between the several shafts and between the shafts andthe engine room and other parts of the ship so that upon a person ascertaining; in Vwhich compartment water is entering he may telephone to persons in othershafts or parts of the vessel to that effect, and in the event of the doors of the various shafts being mechanically controlled the, person or persons within the .shafts' may telephone their requirements.

flhershafts may alsobe fitted with suitable illuminating agents, such as electric light.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is i f l. In an apparatus of the character described the combination with air compresslng means and air dlstrlbutm'gmeans comprismg a main reservoir and subsidiary resv ervoirs connected thereto, a delivery pipe from each subsidiary reservoir to the member to be supplied, of a plurality of air-tight compartments having inspection shafts interposed between them, thev aforementionedl scribed, the combination with air compressing and distributing means, of a plurality of air tight compartments, means for detecting the damaged compartment and subsidiary 'reservoirs separate from the compressing means connected to each compartment, and means for supplying compressed air to the damaged compartment from the reservoir connected thereto. Y

In testimony whereof I aliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- 'ARTHUR RICHARD MCAvoY.

Witnesses:

Cron. MCCLASTRUR, FRANK H. GAIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C." 

